


i can't help the fact i like to be alone

by GallifreyanFairytale



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aromantic Toph Beifong, Gen, Nonbinary Toph Beifong, Pool Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26327476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanFairytale/pseuds/GallifreyanFairytale
Summary: Toph is decidedly not going to prom. Katara takes it upon herself to convince Toph otherwise.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Everyone, Toph Beifong & Katara, Toph Beifong & Zuko, background Aang/Katara (Avatar), background Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 88
Collections: Gen and Aro Prompts (Any fandom)





	i can't help the fact i like to be alone

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [27twinsister](https://archiveofourown.org/users/27twinsister/pseuds/27twinsister) in the [GenAndAroPrompts](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/GenAndAroPrompts) collection. 



> prompt:  
> "The main character is about to graduate high school and has never been on a real date. Someone mentions this, and the character basically goes 'why do I have to?'"
> 
> title from 'prom dress' by mxmtoon

When Sokka was a senior in high school, Katara’s dad had taken the three of them on a vacation to Ember Island during spring break. They’d spent the week laying in the sun, swimming in the ocean, and eating enough junk food to last a lifetime.

That had been two years ago. Now, Katara was a senior in high school, but with their dad’s busy work schedule, he couldn’t afford time off for a week-long vacation. So she was stuck settling for a pool party at Toph’s house to kick off their last week of freedom before finals, prom, and graduation.

“Sokka’s here!” Toph announced, breaking Katara from her thoughts. They winced. “Zuko’s driving.”

Katara groaned as she swam to the edge of the pool, pushing herself out of the water. If you didn’t know much about Sokka and Zuko, you’d assume Zuko was the better driver, but that was not the case. One time in a car with him driving had been more than enough for Katar. Sokka wasn’t a _great_ driver by any means, but he was far better than his boyfriend. “If Zuko crashes the car with Sokka in it, I’m killing them both.” 

“He just hit the curb.” Toph waved their hand dismissively. 

“When doesn’t he?” Aang asked.

It was only a few moments before Sokka and Zuko had made their way to the back of the house, arms entwined. They were so touchy it was nauseating sometimes (but maybe Katara was biased because hey, that was her _brother_ and the kid she’d always assumed was as horrible as his little sister).

“SOKKA!” Aang shouted, running past Katara and towards the two boys. 

Katara knew Aang’s only intent was to hug them while still dripping wet, but she didn’t try to stop him. All she did was laugh to herself when Zuko shoved him away and said, “You’re wet!”

“It’s a pool party!”

“Where’s Suki?” Toph demanded. “I thought she was coming with you two?”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “She had to drop Mai off at some painting class Ty Lee signed them up for. _But_ she said she’d bring snacks to make up for being late.”

“She’s forgiven!” Toph decided. It was no secret that food was the one surefire way to their heart. They plopped back down on their chair. “But she better bring Doritos.”

“I’m sure she will,” Sokka assured them.

Sokka and Zuko ended up in the pool with Aang and Katara while Toph sat on the edge with their feet dangling in the water. They kept their hands planted on the ground firmly, palms down, so Katara could only assume they were watching for Suki.

Sokka and Aang took turns seeing who could make the biggest splash while Zuko and Katara stood at the opposite end of the pool next to Toph. 

“I call this one the _Boomerang Cannonball_!” Sokka announced before flinging himself off the diving board and attempting to make his body into a boomerang shape before slamming into the water.

Zuko winced, then turned away to look at Katara. “So, how’s senior year?”

Katara shrugged. “Stressful?” Between college applications, scholarship applications, endless homework, a part-time lifeguarding job, and still wanting to spend time with Aang and her friends, Katara felt like she hadn’t had a break since August. _Stressful_ was an understatement, but she didn’t have a better word at the moment.

Zuko nodded. 

“My senior year is going great!” Toph exclaimed. “I’m gonna pull the _best_ senior prank of _all time_!”

“Senior pranks are against the rules,” Katara reminded Toph.

“Oh I know.” Why had Katara thought they would care about that? 

“Excited for prom?” Zuko asked, eyes trained on Sokka, who was presumably now trying to teach Aang some sort of dive.

Katara opened her mouth to answer, but Toph beat her to it.

“I’m not going.”

“ _What?_ ” Zuko and Katara chorused. This was the first Katara had heard anything about Toph not going to prom. Sure, they’d skipped out last year, but this was _senior_ prom! How could Toph just… _not go_? 

Toph shrugged. “I don’t want to spend five hours thirdwheeling with Sugar Queen and Twinkle Toes.” They said it like it was no big deal. “I think I’m gonna get Suki to take me to McDonald’s.”

Katara didn’t even know what to say to that. How do you talk sense into someone who thinks a trip to McDonald’s is a viable substitute to _prom_? And how did Toph not even seem to care that they were missing out on a once in a lifetime experience in favor of eating a hamburger that was mediocre at best?

“Why not find someone to go with?” Zuko suggested, saving Katara from having to yell at Toph about the importance of going to prom. (It’s a right of passage!) “Anyone would be lucky to go with you.”

“I dunno.” Okay, there was something Toph wasn’t saying. Toph never dodged questions like that unless they were hiding something. Their bluntness could be annoying at times, but it was a defining factor of their personality. Wishy-washy answers meant something was up. But Katara had to focus on one problem at a time, and the issue right now was getting Toph to agree to go to prom.

“What about that girl who sits next to you in calculus?” Katara suggested.

“ _Song?_ ” Toph sounded like what Katara had just said was personally offensive. “No way.”

“What about the one kid who’s on the soccer team?” Zuko tried.

Toph made a face. “No.”

“The boy from Spanish last year?”

“No.”

“The girl who lifeguards with Katara?”

“No.”

Katara and Zuko went back and forth for a while, trying to get Toph to even _consider_ asking any of them to go to prom with them. But Toph shot down every single suggestion they came up with until they were both out of ideas.

“We’ve listed every person you’ve had a positive interaction with in the last year,” Katara complained. She could hear how winy her voice sounded, but she was too tired to care. “Come on, Toph. We’re going to graduate in a few months and you’ve never even been on a first date.”

Toph tensed. “Why should I?”

Katara blinked. “What?”

“Why would I want to go on a date?”

Zuko frowned. “I mean, if there’s no one you like, I guess that’s fair. I dated Mai just to get my dad off my back, and that really screwed up our friendship for a full year after we broke up.” He looked down into the water. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“And what if I never like anyone?”

Toph’s question hung heavy in the air. Sokka and Aang’s splashing sounded distant as Katara mulled Toph’s question over in her head. _What if I never like anyone?_

Clearly, they’d meant it in the romantic sense. What if Toph never had a crush on anyone? The way they asked it made Katara think it wasn’t a snippy comment to get her and Zuko to stop pestering them about prom. It was something Toph had thought a lot about.

“You wouldn’t be alone.”

Katara hadn’t expected Zuko to answer Toph’s question, and she _definitely_ hadn’t expected that answer.

Toph laughed, but it was a bitter one that cut straight through Katara’s chest. “How ironic. I ask you ‘What if I never have a crush on anyone?’, and you tell me I won’t die alone.”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re allowed to not want romance, Toph. You’re not the only person in the world who feels that way.”

“How would _you_ know that?” Katara knew Toph didn’t mean to be so harsh, but Zuko grimaced anyway. They sighed and let their shoulders drop. “I mean… it’s not that I don’t _want_ romance - I _don’t_ , but it’s more than that. I don’t get crushes. I never have, and I don’t think I ever will. I don’t mind, but it feels like everyone has someone they like more than me. Since I’m not dating anyone, I’m always just… second place. I’m the backup.”

“Toph, that isn’t true,” Katara assured them. “Just because Aang is my boyfriend doesn’t mean I like him _more_. I like him _differently_. Romance doesn’t have to be stronger than friendship. You know I’d drop everything for you if you asked.”

Toph sighed. “It just… doesn’t always feel like that.”

Katara pushed herself up out of the pool so she could sit next to Toph and wrapped an arm around them. Zuko must’ve had the same idea because Katara felt his arm come to rest on Toph’s back just below hers.

Toph lasted approximately four seconds before they pushed Zuko and Katara back into the pool, which really didn’t surprise Katara. Zuko, on the other hand, spluttered and shouted, “Hey!”

Katara elbowed him and he glared at her, but let it go all the same.

Katara turned to Toph. “I still think you should come to prom with us, but I won’t force you if you don’t want to go. And I definitely won’t try to find you a date.”

“Thank you.”

Before Katara could pull Toph into another hug, they shot to their feet. “Suki’s here!”

Sure enough, Suki came around the house carrying grocery bags Katara assumed were filled with various snacks.

“Hi! Sorry I’m late!” She dropped the bags on the table just in time for Sokka (who was dripping wet) to attack her with a hug.

It wasn’t a bright idea on Sokka’s part, because Suki grabbed him and shoved him into the pool without hesitation. While Sokka whined about her “betrayal”, she took a seat next to Toph.

“Suki, do you want to go to prom with me so we can make fun of Aang and Katara the whole time?” Toph asked innocently.

Suki laughed. “Only if I can re-wear my dress from senior year.”

“Suki!” Katara exclaimed, but she wasn’t mad. Not really. Senior prom wouldn’t feel right without both Aang _and_ Toph there with her, and if Suki was the price of Toph joining them, Katara was more than okay with that.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on twitter @ H0LL0WKAIDAM


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